Mortal Kombat: Deception/Ending Theater
Ashrah ''"Noob Saibot was not originally a demon, which might explain why Ashrah sensed such great evil in him: He had to earn his place in the Netherrealm. He actually desired to remain there. His companion, however, seemed to be having a problem adjusting. Perhaps there was some good left in the cyborg. Whatever the case, Noob would have to face Ashrah alone. Ashrah defeated Noob Saibot and finally earned her ascension from the Netherrealm. But the sword that made her escape possible did not travel with her. I suspect it still remains in the Netherrealm, waiting to release another of its denizens from damnation."'' Baraka ''"Baraka assumed that the treacherous Mileena had given her armies a powerful magic. They fought with savage brutality, but he could not stop their advance. He vowed that Mileena would pay for her betrayal. Baraka's warriors brought word that she had agreed to meet with him in an ancient lair, but Baraka was no fool... He sent another in his place... Baraka's scouts reported that the Earthrealm warrior Sub-Zero was near. He allowed his remaining militia to deal with him and set off alone to ambush Mileena. He knew by the scent of Tarkatan blood on her clothes that she had already killed the one he had sent to meet her. But her sense of smell was not as keen as a true Tarkata's. She was unaware of Baraka's presence. He barked her name and when she turned to face him... he tore her apart."'' Bo' Rai Cho Dairou Darrius ''"The mercenary Dairou had succeeded in stealing the Declaration of Order and was paid many coins for his efforts. After Darrius hid the document, he announced its capture to the world and heralded a new beginning for the realm of Seido. As Darrius had predicted, officials were outraged that the Resistance had stolen the most prized possession of the Seidan government. Hotaru was ordered to lead the charge against them. He underestimated their numbers, however, and the Resistance defeated him and his men. The senate would soon be in the hands of the revolutionaries."'' Ermac ''"In an outer chamber of the Dragon King's throne room, Ermac did battle with Liu Kang's enslaved comrades. Ermac was more than a match for the five warriors, but their defeat was not his objective. Liu Kang materialized and, one by one, freed their souls while Ermac occupied the rest. Eventually, all five were awakened from their enchantment and freed from Onaga's control. Ermac was pleased that his warrior skills could for once bring about a noble outcome. He sensed, however, that an ominous force still shaped the destiny of the realms. It was everywhere. He could feel its influence on Onaga, though the Dragon King was oblivious to its manipulation. Time was running out. Ermac feared the celebration of this latest victory would be short-lived."'' Goro ''"Goro had regained control of his Shokan army and fought to cleanse Outworld of the Dragon King's Tarkatan Horde. Though the Tarkata are formidable adversaries, they were no match for an army of Shokan, inspired as they were by regaining Shao Kahn's favor. Baraka's troops were quickly defeated. Goro and his army slaughtering Baraka's troops. Goro had proven himself a powerful ally of the emperor. But Shao Kahn had given the Shokan much in his return to power. Goro felt a gift of loyalty was in order. The Edenian military had been crushed and Kitana herself had been captured. Goro brought her before Shao Kahn and sacrificed her as an offering of fealty to the once and future emperor of Outworld."'' Havik Hotaru ''"In the wilds of Outworld, Hotaru captured the renegade Earthrealm warrior Sub-Zero and bought him before the Dragon King. Onaga's judgement of Sub-Zero was swift, and Hotaru was given the task of carrying out his punishment: death. His fate served as a reminder to all those who would challenge the authority of the Dragon King."'' Jade Kabal ''"Havik had given Kabal's new Black Dragon recruits a task: Lure the heroes away from the Dragon King's corpse while he somehow retrieved the heart, and with it, Onaga's power to raise the dead. Apparently Onaga's ancient army had only been invincible by means of constant resurrection during battles. The power to raise the dead would prove quite useful to the Black Dragon clan. Kabal slew Havik and took the Dragon King's heart for himself. Havik was most impressed."'' Kenshi Kira Kobra Li Mei Liu Kang ''"Liu Kang's friends had been freed. Onaga had been defeated, and the realms were secure once more. But there was one battle that remained. Liu Kang's body had been used by some unknown force as a tool of destruction. It had left death in its wake and needed to be stopped. The chaos would end in Earthrealm. The fight raged with neither kombatant able to best the other, when a jolt of energy crackled through them both. Liu Kang's nerves blazed like fire, and he felt a rush of air fill his lungs for the first time since his death. He was Liu Kang once more: Protector of Earthrealm, Champion of Mortal Kombat."'' Mileena ''"Because it was widely believed that Princess Kitana had slain her many years ago, none were suspicious of the veil Mileena wore to conceal her Tarkatan features. It was not difficult for her to assume the identity of the princess and take control of her alliance. To further conceal her deception, Mileena gave command of the armies to Bo Rai Cho, and instructed him to lead the attack against Baraka's diversionary forces. Baraka's militia had failed to divert the enemy, and to her surprise, was decimated by Bo Rai Cho's forces. She then realized that she was in control of the most powerful military force in Outworld and Edenia combined.... She had finally achieved her true purpose, her destiny. But Mileena could not continue her charade indefinitely - not as long as Baraka knew the truth. She ambushed him in the ancient Beetle Lair and fed him to a swarm of flesh-eating insects. All hail Princess... Kitana."'' Nightwolf ''"Nightwolf had traversed realms and fought many demons to get to this place deep within the Netherrealm. Using knowledge passed to him from his forefathers, he drew a binding symbol on the ground and chanted the ancient words that would draw the spirit of the Dragon King to this wicked place. Nightwolf had carried the burden long enough. He released the sins of his people into the mystic symbol, and their weight bound Onaga to the Netherrealm. Free of the corruption he had harbored for so long, Nightwolf was expelled from the depths of the Netherrealm and into the unknown."'' Noob-Smoke ''"With Smoke as his template, Noob Saibot planned to return to the Netherrealm and use Smoke's nanotechnology to create an army of cyborg demons. He was unaware that they were followed by someone Noob had not seen since before he became a wraith. Smoke instantly recognized their visitor. He was an echo of their past. He was Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot's brother. Noob Saibot was surprised to see how much stronger his brother had become. If he were still Lin Kuei, still human, he would probably have shown some degree of pride. But, as Raiden had revealed during the ordeal with Shinnok's Amulet, his soul had been tainted when he died at the hand of Scorpion. Noob Saibot, the original Sub-Zero, had descended into the Netherrealm free from compassion. He ordered Smoke to assist him in slaying his brother - his first act as ruler of the Netherrealm."'' Raiden Scorpion Shao Kahn ''"Shao Kahn had regained his strength, and he and Goro marched boldly to the Dragon King's throne room, slaying all who stood in their way. Like an echo of their battle ages ago, Shao Kahn and Onaga fought with a fury fueled by intense hatred. Knowing the Dragon King was too powerful to defeat in mere kombat, Shao Kahn blasted Onaga with his war hammer, causing him to hurtle into Goro's poisoned blades. Onaga had fallen victim to Shao Kahn's treachery once more. With Onaga defeated, Shao Kahn reclaimed Outworld once again. His army of Shokan decimated what remained of Kitana's armies and the Tarkatan Horde and scattered their survivors into the unknown. A new era had begun in the realm of Outworld. Long live Emperor Shao Kahn!"'' Shujinko ''"So that I would be able to defend myself during the quest to find the Kamidogu, Onaga had given me the power to absorb the fighting abilities of any warrior I encountered. But this 'gift' would prove to be his undoing. The warriors in Outworld were in disarray. Heroes were not focused on the true threat of Onaga, and villians were unaware that they were bringing about their own destruction by serving him. I united them, and in one moment, absorbed their combined fighting power. I shattered each of the Kamidogu, the source of his invulnerability. This weakened Onaga, and I attacked him without mercy. His mortal form was no match for a kombatant infused with the powers of so many warriors. The Dragon King was finally defeated. The realms will remain as they have since the beginning."'' Sindel ''"Although Onaga had returned from the dead, he did not reinhabit his original body. Sindel and Jade found his sarcophagus opened. His body remained, but the armor was missing. Strangely, the hieroglyphics in his tomb were similar to an ancient Edenian language. She discovered an incantation, inscribed by Onaga's holy men, that was intended to transport his soul back into its original body. As she was memorizing the spell, Onaga emerged from the shadows. Onaga could have defeated both Jade and Sindel, but instead he took sadistic pleasure in unleashing Kitana against them. He was a fool. Jade held off Kitana while Sindel thrust her Kwan Dao into the heart of the corpse. As she screamed the ancient incantation, Onaga's soul leapt from Reptile's body into its intended vessel. The corpse came to life and cried in agony as the Kwan Dao prevented its heart from reforming. Sindel held the blade firmly in place as Onaga returned to the cold sleep of death. With the Dragon King defeated, the realms were safe and Sindel's daughter, Kitana, was free from his spell. May Edenia know peace once more."'' Sub-Zero ''"On his way to the rendezvous point with Raiden and the others, Sub-Zero was ambushed by a band of Tarkatan warriors in the Living Forest. He tried to outrun them, but there were too many. He was quickly surrounded. Sub-Zero decided that his last living deed would be to vanquish as many of these barbarians as he could before he succumbed to death. As Sub-Zero began his attack, he felt his armor speak to him. It guided and strengthened each blow as he broke their limbs and crushed their skulls. At his feet, a dying Tarkatan warrior uttered the words, "Long live the Dragon King....""'' Tanya Ending Images Ashrah Ermac=